Upsurge In Harassment An Attack On All

Sean Bresnahan, Chairman, Thomas Ashe Society Omagh, raises concerns about British police harassment in the North.


The Thomas Ashe Society Omagh note the clear and alarming upsurge in punitive ‘stop and search’ measures by MI5-run PSNI and condemn without reservation these abuses on Irish republicans by the so-called forces of law and order.

It is obvious that repressive powers – granted to the PSNI under the pretext of ‘anti-terror’ – are being tactically waged for political reasons against political opponents of the state, which amounts to an abuse of power and a serious wrong against those who are victim of these attacks. For the Thomas Ashe Society, an attack on any Irish republican is an attack on us all and we extend our full solidarity to those on the receiving end of these criminal actions.

The argument that PSNI – the successor force to the discredited RUC – has been suitably reformed has been shown as pure nonsense, with republicans and indeed their families, particularly in Belfast, being constantly subject to what is essentially harassment. Harassment is a crime, so what we are dealing with here is not only an abuse of power, but in fact criminality, by those whose supposed role is to tackle criminality. Unfortunately this is nothing new and has long been the nationalist experience of British policing in Ireland.

With the above in mind, we call on the British government to withdraw its claim over the north of our country, allowing our people to set forth a just new order where criminal acts by the police and the state are consigned to the dustbin of history, where a real new beginning for both policing and broader society can go forward. The people of Ireland, in particular those subject to police malpractice on an ever-increasing basis in the Six Counties, deserve no less and are entitled to live free from harassment from all and any quarter.

Those from within the nationalist community who recognise the RUC-cum-PSNI as legitimate authority – a police force we should remember is controlled at the highest levels by British Intelligence – might also do well to examine the facts and reconsider their ill-judged support accordingly.

2 comments:

  1. GRMA a chara. I'm sure you've seen the images and footage of what the PSNI are currently engaged in on our streets. A few young lads in West Belfast, who are Saoradh members to the best of my knowledge, seem to have been singled out for special attention. It seems they can't even go to their work without this vindictive carry-on. It's an absolute disgrace and has to stop.

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  2. Go raibh maith agat Sean, as the French say, plus ca change.

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